Bartletts Ferry Fishing Report – December 2007

Bartletts Ferry: Level: Down 1.4 feet below full pool. Temp: 59-61 degrees. Clarity: Clear.

Bass: Good. You can catch bass shallow in December, especially on days when the weather is stable and warmer, according to tournament angler Tommy Gunn. He said to fish the old, wooden boat docks with a 3/8- or 1/4-oz. Jawbreaker jig. If the bite is tough, throw a green-pumpkin Trick Worm on a 3/16-oz. jig head around the docks. It tends to catch more but smaller fish. Also look for the points and humps in 12 to 15 of water that have rocks or brush on them, and fish them with a Carolina rig or a jig-head worm, Tommy said.

Hybrids: Good, said Robert “Smitty” Smith. “The hybrids are in the creeks,” he said. “They are following the shad and feeding like crazy.”

Crappie: Good. “The crappie have moved upstream into the creeks and up river with the shad,” Smitty said. “Fish blowdowns in or near deep water. Most of the good crappie have been in 15 to 25 feet of water around cover. This means they are concentrating again for the winter as opposed to being scattered as in the past month. Live bait always seems to work well in the cold months. I still use jigs, but always tip with a minnow. Deep docks are also a good place to fish until the water temps get into the lower 50s. Try shooting small-sized jigs that fall real slow under and around each post. Don’t be too fast to give up on a dock. Crappie are skittish but will come back after you settle in there.”